In a move to create a more sustainable horseracing industry, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) came up with a five-year business model captioned as the “Horse Racing Partnership Plan” (HRPP), which unites Ontario racetrack operators unite into a single organization called the Standardbred Alliance.  

The alliance introduces for the first-time, a three-tier horse racing hierarchy in Ontario, namely “Grass Roots, “Signature” and “Premier”. The Clinton Raceway and Hanover Raceway races fall under the “Grass Roots” category, while racing events at Flamboro Downs, Georgian Downs, Grand River Raceway and The Raceway comprise the “Signature” level.  Horseracing competitions that take place at the Mohawk Racetrack and Woodbine Racetrack constitute the “Premier” level.

The newly-formed organization’s initial objective is to develop a coordinated year-round racing calendar of races and guaranteed prizes that can attract not only Canadian locals but foreign horseracing punters as well. The ultimate goal is to achieve financial objectives that are mutually beneficial for both the Ontario horseracing industry and provincial treasury. As part of the HRPP’s revenue distribution scheme, turnovers gained from pari-mutuel bets placed on track races will be pooled into a fund that will be shared between the alliance’s track members.

The 5-year HRPP involves not only Ontario’s racetrack operators but also other personas such as industry leaders, owners, breeders and regulators of the Ontario Racing Commission (ORC). To ensure that the OMAF’s CA$500 million HRPP fund support for the program will be used in developing a world-class and sustainable horse-racing industry, the ORC has been tasked to act as program administrator.